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Texas Travel Counselors Conference Returns to Amarillo

Feb. 11, 2015

One of Texas tourism's most important annual conventions, the Texas Travel Counselors Conference, is returning to Amarillo in April 2017. Sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation Travel Division, TTCC is the annual gathering of staff from the 12 Texas Travel Information Centers across the state, as well as representatives from Texas Highways magazine, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and city visitor centers. These 200+ professionals were the state's ambassadors to more than 2 million visitors last year. The Amarillo conference will be April 10-13, 2017, with events at the Wyndham Garden Hotel and throughout the area community. This meeting was in Amarillo last in 2000. So, many things have changed, from new attractions, restaurants and lodging to plans for downtown expansion and development. "This is a fine way for us to tell the state tourism community that Amarillo is back. We have so much new to share with our travel counselor colleagues and we can't wait to welcome them to Amarillo," Dan Quandt, Vice President of the Amarillo CVC, says. "Usually, this conference is the best way for my colleagues and me to stay up to date with other Texas locations. But we are so proud to help host the 2017 meeting and show off our hometown," Daphne Adkins, manager of the Texas Travel Information Center in Amarillo, says. Other travel counselors on the TTIC-Amarillo staff are Teresa Carney, Kathy Caraway, Rick Upton and Annette Mata. Monday (April 10, 2017) will be for arrivals and special educational meetings. Tuesday and Wednesday (April 11 and 12) are spent touring the area. It's this chance to take the travel counselors to our partners that makes this conference so valuable. And the results come into play the next time any counselor has to answer a question about Palo Duro Canyon State Park or the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum or any one of our attractions. With the Texas Travel Counselors Conference comes a related meeting, the Texas Travel Fair, sponsored by the Texas Travel Industry Association. The Travel Fair will be Thursday (April 13) in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex. It is a special trade show for these front-line professionals featuring booths from cities, towns and attractions across the state. All in all, the week is as close to a crash course on Texas tourism as you will find. "Our experienced staff certainly understands the local turf. But for this rare opportunity we will be asking our local partners for their input and their help to plan the Texas Travel Counselors Conference in Amarillo in 2017," Quandt concludes.